Sliding and folding partition



J.- T. FAIRHURST 2,052,089

SLIDING AND FOLDING PARTITION Filed Oct. 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l I I II I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I l fl I .5 B I B l I l I I |D I Il I l I l I I I l ii I 1 I 1 [III I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 3 II I l I I 5141 F P F m? l/VVE/VTOR @zrizns? Aug. 25, 1936. J T H RST2,052,089

SLIDING AND FOLDING PARTITION Filed Oct. 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A? ELi ii '1' NJ W1 W11 W11! iilHiiL l l W I [Mu MUM Mm Aug. 25, 1936. J. T.FAIRHURS' F 2,052,089

7 SLIDING AND FOLDING PARTITION v v 7 Filed Oct. 26, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet3 Maud/2k" flTTOR/VEY Aug. 25, 1936. J. "r. FAIRHURST 2,052,089

' SLIDING AND FOLDING PARTITION Filed OCT. 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLIDING AND FOLDINGPARTITION John T. Fairhurst, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Application October 26, 1934, Serial No. 750,108

14 Claims.

This invention relates generally to partitions and more particularly tofolding partitions employed in temporary subdivision of large rooms andespecially to those partitions in which a definite, useful ordecorative, room plan must be continued by the partition. Foldingpartitions which have been previously devised have not lent themselvesreadily to the carrying out of a definite decorative plan since visiblehardware was necessary and the partitions were not sufficiently rigid,nor maintained in perfect alignment.

It is an objectof this invention to provide a rigid, yet foldingpartition, which will harmonize with the surroundings and be readilyslidable and foldable to an out-of-the-Way position.

It is a further object to provide a partition in sections which areslidable on'a floor level trackway and at the ends of the trackway arefoldable to an out-'of-the-way position. It is a still further object toprovide folding partition sections carried by means supported on a floorlevel trackway and slightly tiltable to lift at least one of the meansclear of the trackway and floor for swinging movement.

' Further objects will be obvious from the following description takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure -1 is anelevation of the partition in the extended position;

Fig. 2 is a section through the partition showing the end section bydash and dot lines in the preliminary closing position;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views on line 33 Fig. 1 of the endsection in closed and preliminary closed position;

Fig 5 isla'sectional view looking down on the folding section andshowingthe top locking and pivoting arrangement;

Fig.6 is a sectional view showing the bottom locking arrangement; 7

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the relation of top and bottom unitswiththe partition section in'the folded position;

Fig. 8 is detail elevation, with parts broken away and showing thesection in the normal and preliminary folding position;

Fig. 9 is a top plan showing a section in the preliminary foldedposition, and

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the end or master section;

'Referring now to the drawings in which like characters refer to likeparts in the several views. The partition consists of a pivot-ed end ormaster section A and as many sliding sections B as (16- sired, thesesections may be plain and solid or provided with any decoration or typeof opening desired. The master section A is pivoted to some portion ofthe building at C, while the end section B abuts a spring jamb D whichwill hold 5- the sections in firm engagement. The sections B aresupported on a trackway E by rollers or other means F and G and at thetop are guided in a trackway H by rollers or other means J and K.

The lower trackway E is set in a groove in the floor and comprises asupporting portion I and an upwardly open channel or guide portion 2,the entire unit being embedded in the floor as is shown in Fig. 7. Theupper trackway H is suspended from the ceiling and is concealed eitherin the ceiling or in a false beam or other structure 3 provided with amolding 4 which overlaps slightly the entire upper edge of theintermediate sections.

Each section B carries at what may be termed 20 its lower front edge aroller 5, preferably of the ball bearing type, carried by a block 6recessed and concealed in the lower edge of the section. Recessed in thelower rear edge of the section is a block I in which is threaded anadjustable tube B'WhiCh carries a spring acting on a shoulder of a stem9 carrying a roller ID and an extension II which is so shaped as to actas a track cleaner and switchoperator when desired. This arrangementpermits of the section being spring carried on a roller and free to turnrelative to the stem carrying the roller. Attached to the rear of theblock is a plate l2 which may be adjusted vertically so as to insurethat the lower part will be in position to engage behind a block I 3carried at one end of the trackway. The adjustable plate I2 is alsoprovided with a set screw M, the purpose of which will be explainedlater in connection with the operation.

The upper rear edge of the section is provided with a plate l5fastenedto the section and provided with two holes in which pins [6 andI! are verticallyslidable. A control plate I8 is immovablyattached tothe pin l1 and extends in either direction from the pin with its endsupturned to forrrrhooks l9 and 20. Intermediate the pin I] and hook ISthe pin I6 is rigidly attached to the control plate, this arrangementpermitting the control plate to slide vertically while preventing anyrotation. On the upper end of pin I1 is rotatably journaled a slideblock 2! as shown or a roller may be substituted if desired.

The upper front edge of the section is provided with a plate 22 coveringthe front edge of asmall cut-out portion which varies with each sectionand adapted to cooperate with tilting rollers 23 and 24 carried by theceiling or beam immediately adjacent the molding 4 which is discontinuedon one side at least, from this point to the end.

The end or master section A is formed in two parts hinged together bylong hinges to form a type of toggle with the front edge of the sectionfree of any support on the trackway. The hinge post 25 is pivoted at itsends to the fioor and ceiling by fixtures 26 and at its rear edge iscurved to fit within a curved portion on the wall structure. The post 25carries hinge members 21 and 28 which connect the post to hinge members29 and 30 carried on the remainder of the section. The post 25 and theremainder of the section are provided with step out surfaces whichinterengage when the units are closed as in Fig. 3.

Referring now to the control fixtures which are attached to thebuilding, it is seen that the rear end of the lower trackway is providedwith lugs or lower stops l3 as previously mentioned, while the upperstructure is provided with a plate 3| on one side of the trackway and onthe opposite side with a plurality of angle shaped or intermediatecontrol lugs 32. The plate 3| is provided with downwardly directed camshaped projections or final control lugs 33 and projections or upperstops 34.

Assuming the partition is in the extended position as shown in Fig. 1and it is desired to fold the units into the storage space, the masterunit is pulled sidewise from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that inFig. 4 thus freeing the front edge of the section. The section may thenbe rotated to the position shown in Fig. 6. It is obvious that thereversal of this movement will place the edge of the door back on thetrack and the movement of the unit from the position of Fig. 4 to thatof Fig. 3 will apply pressure to the section forming the partition.

The section B may be slid along the lower trackway guided and held inposition by the upper trackway, and without any binding due to thefreedom of movement allowed the guide units. The section uponapproaching the end position from which it is to be folded strikeseither the master section or the next preceding folded section and isstopped by the properly adjusted set screw [4 striking a plate or othermeans 35 then when sidewise pressure is applied to the section and itstarts to rotate the plate 22 and section top is forced rearwardly bythe rollers 23 and 24 thus tilting the unit to the dash and dot positionof Fig. 8. This tilting action lifts the roller 5 clear of the floor andthe section may be swung without marring the floor finish. Before theplate 22 has left the roller 24, the hook is has engaged theintermediate control lug 32, see Fig. 9, and the hook 20 is in aposition behind but free from the final control lug 33 and the sectionis held in the tilted position. Further rotation of the section willfree the hook l9 and the hook 26 which is already engaged with the finalcontrol lug 33 holds the section tilted as it is moved to the finalfolded position in which the edge of hook 20 abuts the top stop 34.During this rotation the lower edge of the section has been turningabout the stem 9 and the plate l2 has engaged behind the bottom stops l3as seen in Figs. 6 and 7.

It is thus seen that a partition has been provided having independentsections supported and sliding in the plane of the sections on two ormore bottom rollers yet which, when the sections are to be rotated forstorage, revolve freely as any ordinary door and the hinge edge cannotbe pulled out due to the stops l3 and 34.

The sections have been illustrated as folding to only one side but theymay be folded to both sides by a slight shift in the mechanism and theprovision of switch means and it is to be understood that the precedingdescription is purely illustrative and that various modifications andchanges are possible which will still fall within the scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a folding and sliding partition for structures including aplurality of guided sliding sections and a multi-part swingable mastersection; said master sections comprising a portion pivoted to thestructure and another portion connected to said first named portion byhinges thereby forming a toggle section whereby pressure may be appliedto the sliding section, said hinges having their pintles offset from theadjacent edges of said portions.

2. In a substantially vertical, movable section supported and guided ata plurality of points for sliding movement, the combination of stopmeans adjacent the bottom of the section and means adjacent the upperedge of the section, said means cooperating with the section to tilt thesection for rotation about an axis inclined to the vertical.

3. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section supported andguided at a plurality of points for sliding movement, the combination ofadjustable stop means adjacent the bottom of the section and meansadjacent the upper edge of the section, said means cooperating with thesection to tilt the section for rotation about an axis inclined to thevertical.

4. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section supported andguided at a plurality of points for sliding movement, the combination ofadjustable stop means adjacent the bottom of the section, and cammingmeans adjacent the upper edge of the section, said means cooperatingwith the section to tilt the section for rotation about an axis inclinedto the vertical.

5. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section for structuressupported and guided for sliding movement, the combination of stop meanscarried by the section adjacent its lower edge, means carried by thestructure adjacent the upper portion of the section and cooperating withportions of the section to apply pressure on the stop means to tilt thesection for rotation about an inclined axis.

6. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section for structuressupported and guided for sliding movement, the combination of adjustablestop means carried by the section adjacent its lower edge, camming meanscarried by the structure adjacent the upper portion of the section andcooperating with portions of the section to apply pressure on the stopmeans to tilt the section for rotation about an inclined axis.

7. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section for structuressupported and guided for sliding movement, the combination of stop meanscarried by the section adjacent the lower edge, means carried by thestructure adjacent an end of the upper edge of the section andcooperating with portions of the section to apply pressure on the stopmeans to tilt the section for rotation about an inclined axis, controlmeans carried by the other end of the upper edge of the section, aplurality of lugs depending from the structure and cooperating with thecontrol means to progressively shift the inclined axis as the section isrotated.

8. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section forstructures, supported and guided for sliding movement, the combinationof adjustable stop means carried by the section adjacent the lower edge,camming means carried by the structure adjacent an end of the upper edgeof the section and cooperating with portions of the section to applypressure on the stop means to tilt the section for rotation about aninclined axis, control means carried by the other end of the upper edgeof the section, a plurality of lugs depending from the structure andcooperating with the control means to progressively shift the inclinedaxis as the section is rotated.

9. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section forstructures, supported and guided for sliding movement, the combinationof stop means carried by the section adjacent the lower edge, meanscarried by the structure adjacent an end of the upper edge of thesection and cooperating with portions of the section to apply pressureon the stop means to tilt the section for rotation about an inclinedaxis, a plurality of lugs depending from the structure, control meanscarried by the other end of the upper edge of the section and providedwith projections cooperating with the lugs to progressively shift theinclined axis as the section is rotated.

10. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section forstructures, supported and guided for sliding movement, the combinationof adjustable stop means carried by the section adjacent the lower edge,camming means carried by the structure adjacent an end of the upper edgeof the section and cooperating with portions of the section to applypressure on the stop means to tilt the section for rotation about aninclined axis, vertically movable guide and control means carried by theother end of the upper edge of the section, a plurality of lugsdepending from the structure and cooperating with the control means toprogressively shift the inclined axis as the section is rotated.

11. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section forstructures, supported and guided for sliding movement, the combinationof stop means carried by the section adjacent the lower edge, meanscarried by the structure adjacent an end of the upper edge of thesection and cooperating with portions of the section to apply pressureon the stop means to tilt the section for rotation about an inclinedaxis, control means carried by the other end of the upper edge of thesection, a plurality of lugs depending from the structure andcooperating with the control means to progressively shift the inclinedaxis as the section is rotated and stop means carried by the structureto prevent sliding movement of the axis.

12. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section forstructures, supported and guided for sliding movement, the combinationof adjustable stop means carried by the section adjacent the lower edge,camming means carried by the structure adjacent an end of the upper edgeof the section and cooperating with portions of the section to applypressure on the stop means to tilt the section for rotation about aninclined axis, control means carried by the other end of the upper edgeof the section, a plurality of lugs depending from the structure andcooperating with the control means to progressively shift the upper endof the inclined axis as the section is rotated.

13. In a substantially vertical, movable partition section forstructures, supported and guided for sliding movement, the combinationof adjustable stop means carried by the section adjacent the lower edge,camming means carried by the structure adjacent an end of the upper edgeof the section and cooperating with portions of the section to applypressure on the stop means to tilt the section for rotation about aninclined axis, control means carried by the other end of the upper edgeof the section, a plurality of lugs depending from the structure andcooperating with the control means to progressively shift the upper endof the inclined axis as the section is rotated and stop means carried bythe structure to prevent sliding movement of the axis.

14. In a folding and sliding partition for structures including aplurality of sliding'sections and a multi-part swingable master section;said sliding sections being guided for independent sliding movement inthe plane of the section, and said master section comprising a portionpivoted to the structure and another portion connected to said firstnamed portion by hinges thereby forming a toggle section wherebypressure may be applied to said sliding sections, said hinges havingtheir pintles offset from the adjacent edges of said portions.

JOHN T. FAIRHURST.

